Providers Must Apply for Recruitment and Retention Award by January 29

Providers must submit an application for the Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention Award to ELRC Region 5 by Thursday, January 29.

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The award is a new program available to eligible providers and qualifying staff as part of the Governor’s Office General Fund initiative. The program’s focus is to provide payments to qualified child care providers to assist them in addressing the ongoing child care staff retention and recruitment crisis.

To qualify, a provider must be serving children, hold a current Certificate of Compliance, and hold a current Child Care Works Certified Subsidy Provider Agreement, among other criteria, to be considered a qualified child care provider.

A staff member is considered qualified if they are employed by a qualified child care provider that is responsible for the direct supervision of children at a minimum of 15 hours per week and is included on the work schedule, not only at the time of application but also when the provider receives payments from the ELRC.

Current qualified child care staff are eligible for a $450 retention bonus per staff member. Recruitment bonuses in the amount of $450 per new staff can be paid to a newly employed, qualified staff member hired after the date of the application submission.

Eligible DHS certified child care providers will apply on behalf of current, eligible staff and for staff recruitment bonuses.

Providers must submit a completed application to their local ELRC by January 29, and can reach out to their ELRC for more information.